


The Warm White Light

by burnthepasttotheground



Category: Rent - Larson
Genre: Multi, all the relationships are pretty much just implied, i didn't want to tag 'major character death' but everyone in this fic is dead
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 16:33:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4270272
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/burnthepasttotheground/pseuds/burnthepasttotheground
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Forty-ish years post-Rent, Mark makes his way into the afterlife.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Warm White Light

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea last night and just had to write it down this morning, so here it is!

Mark blinked slowly. He’d been momentarily blinded by a flash of white light. The last thing he remembered was climbing into a taxi after a party honoring the directors and producers featured in this year’s local film festival. As his vision cleared, he was met with a crowd of people he’d never thought he would see again.

_Oh. So that’s what the light had been._

Before he had time to say anything, or ask anything, Mimi let go of Roger’s hand and Mark was enveloped in quite possibly the tightest hug he’d ever received. The shock wore off after a beat, and Mark returned Roger’s embrace, noticing how much healthier the other man seemed than the last time he’d seen him.

“I missed you,” Mark said when Roger’s grip loosened enough that he could speak again.

“I missed you, too.” Roger tightened his hold on Mark again. “Didn’t wanna see you here, though.” He still didn’t let go of Mark. They stood that way for a long moment.

“You have to let go eventually, Rog.” Not that Mark was uncomfortable—he was just keenly aware of the host of people he had yet to acknowledge.

“Yeah, Roger. The rest of us want a turn.” Mark heard a warm, familiar voice declare. _Collins_.

“Fine,” Roger murmured as he slowly pulled away from Mark.

The two men shared a look that held more emotion than either of them could have expressed in words. Then Mimi took Roger’s hand again and Collins was the next to envelop Mark in a bear hug.

“Hey, man,” Collins said as he released him. Mark could hear the tears in his friend’s voice.

“Hey,” he replied and turned toward Angel, who had been waiting patiently next to Collins.

“Hi, honey,” she said, and pulled him into the gentlest hug he’d received so far. “Welcome home.”

“Thanks,” Mark responded, tearing up a bit himself. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Mimi, who had apparently strayed from Roger for the moment, smiling at him. A bright, wide, genuine smile.

“Hey, Mark.” She wrapped her arms around him.

Mark, refreshed by her light tone, smiled in return. “Hey, Mimi.”

“You know you’re gonna have to share him, right?” she smirked, as she released him from her embrace.

Mark beamed at her. “I know.”

“It’s nice to see you. Even though it’s here.”

“I missed you, Meems.”

She hugged him again, briefly, before making her way back to Roger.

Mark continued to make his way through the crowd of his loved ones. He stopped to talk to his parents out of obligation. Even in the afterlife, there was no escape. He paused for a moment to greet his ex-girlfriend, whom he had dated for four years almost three decades ago. She had never married, either. They kissed each other on the cheek, and Mark continued, eventually arriving in front of the last person he had yet to acknowledge.

He was struck by how young she appeared. She looked almost the same as when they had first met, and there was no evidence of the single mastectomy she had gotten a few years ago. She had, of course, never opted for the reconstructive surgery which she could have easily afforded.

“Mark.” Joanne smiled at him, but tears threatened to spill out of her eyes.

“I’ve missed you so much,” Mark choked out, tears falling down his face.

In an instant, they were holding each other, both weeping quietly on the other’s shoulder. When they finally regained their respective composures, they let go of one another.

Mark removed his glasses to wipe them off, and Joanne wiped her eyes, laughing a little to herself.

“You look good, Cohen.”

He smiled. “You do, too.”

“I didn’t want to see you here so soon, though,” she said, shaking her head.

“What happened?” he asked quietly. He hadn’t broached the subject with anyone else, but he knew it was safe to ask her. Decades of friendship had assured him they could speak about anything, save maybe for Joanne’s sex life.

“You were hit by a drunk driver,” she declared, and sighed. “What I wouldn’t give to prosecute the bastard.”

Mark nodded his head, unsure of the proper response.

“I’m sorry, Mark.”

“I wonder how she…” Mark trailed off, wondering about Maureen’s reaction. She was his emergency contact, and it hurt him to think of all the arrangements she was going to have to make.

Joanne had covered her mouth with her hand and welled up with tears again.

“Jo, I’m so sorry.”

She shook her head and took a deep breath. “It’s not your fault. You were so good with her after—” The tears began to fall again.

Mark had spent most of his time helping out Maureen and the kids, if you could still call them kids, after Joanne’s passing. After all, they were really all each other had left.

He wrapped his arms around his friend and stroked her back gently. “She’ll be okay. She still has the kids. They grew up good, you know,” he smiled weakly, trying to reassure her.

“That girl is nothing if not a fighter,” Collins declared, clapping a hand on Joanne’s shoulder. The rest of the gang had wandered over to where Mark and Joanne were having their tearful reunion. “She’ll be alright.”

“I know,” Joanne pulled away from Mark and nodded. “You guys are right.” She wiped her eyes. “It’s just difficult.”

“I know, sweetie,” Angel shot her a sympathetic look. “I know.”

“You gonna be okay?” Mark asked softly, concerned for his best friend.

She smiled at him. “Yeah. I’ll be fine,” she assured him, adding, “It is nice to see you again, Mark.”

“Nice to see you, too,” he said, hugging her again.

Mark let go of Joanne and felt someone else pulling him by the hand.

“What?”

“C’mon,” Roger said. “I wanna know everything. Let’s go.”

Mark grinned. “Where are we going?” he asked, as if he wouldn’t follow Roger anywhere.

“To catch up,” he replied simply, and suddenly Mark found himself in the old loft sitting next to Roger, like he had done every night for all those years. It was comfortable, as shitty as it appeared. He smiled to himself, happy to be back in the company of the people who meant the most to him.

“What do you want to know?”


End file.
